'anhalamine' originates from scientific coinage, specifically from the obsolete cactus genus name 'Anhalonium' and the chemical suffix '-amine,' where '-amine' meant 'amino compound'.

'Anhalonium' (an older genus name for peyote) contributed the combining form 'anhalo-,' which was joined with '-amine' when alkaloids were being characterized in the late 19th to early 20th century; the term eventually stabilized as the modern English word 'anhalamine'.

Initially, it meant a specific alkaloid isolated from peyote, and this meaning has remained stable in modern usage.